The Cuban regime informed the Catholic Church of its decision not to renew the temporary residency of Mexican priest José Ramírez, a member of the Congregation of the Mission, as a reprisal for having rung the bells of the La Milagrosa temple in Santos Suárez while neighbors protested against blackouts in Havana.
The expulsion occurs after a video of the activist Adelth Bonne Gamboa went viral on Facebook on December 8, where the sound of the villagers' pots can be heard, accompanied by the ringing of the church bells.
Martí Noticias confirmed the regime's retaliation against the priest and added that State Security agents directly pressured the priest, who must leave Cuba and return to Mexico this Thursday.
The de facto expulsion of José Ramírez occurs against a backdrop of increasing tension between the regime and critical voices within the Catholic Church.
Priests such as Lester Zayas, Alberto Reyes, Kenny Fernández Delgado, and José Conrado Rodríguez Alegre, along with religious figures like Sister Nadiezka Almeida, have denounced the national crisis and the lack of freedoms, provoking irritation in the government.
The incident occurred amidst a wave of protests between Monday night and early Tuesday morning, due to the abusive blackouts that the Cuban people are enduring, along with shortages of all kinds.
In some neighborhoods of Havana and other areas of the country, hundreds of Cubans protested against blackouts, shortages, and the collapse of basic services, while the regime responded with repression and internet interruptions.
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